Our Proposal

Photo Credit: Wayne Levin/NOAA

Our Proposal: Expand Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

For Native Hawaiians, our core identity and survival is tied to the ocean. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) is where we believe life originated. All resources in nature – from corals to sharks – have cultural significance for Native Hawaiians and are an embodiment of our ancestors. By expanding Papahānaumokuākea we can help protect our cultural seascapes and show future generations that preservation of the environment is preservation of our cultural traditions.

Our coalition supports Senator Schatz’s proposal, which calls to expand Papahānaumokuākea to 582,578 square miles. This would create the world’s largest marine protected area by expanding the PMNM west of 163° West Longitude out to the full 200 nautical miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, while preserving access for local fishermen on Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. To ensure proper care for Native Hawaiian cultural resources in the monument, the President is also being asked to designate the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) as a co-trustee on the management committee.

January 29, 2016

March 25, 2016

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group (CWG) met and approved the expansion of PMNM out to the 200 nautical mile limit with exception of waters surrounding Niihau and Kauai and to designate the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a co-trustee on the monument’s management committee.

The CWG has been in existence since 2000, originally part of the Reserve Advisory Council for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, and now under the Monument Management Board for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The group is made up of 50 individuals located across all the main Hawaiian Islands and each with a strong tie to Papahānaumokuākea. Members include Hawaiian kūpuna (elders), researchers, educators, community organizers, advocates, as well as cultural practitioners.

April 5, 2016

The CWG sent a letter to the White House Council on Environmental Quality to express their support of expansion and to invite the administration “to further discuss the potential for monument expansion and to hear from and talk directly to the various stakeholders and the Native Hawaiian community”

May 26, 2016

June 8, 2016

The Papahānaumokuākea Reserve Advisory Council votes to support the expansion of Papahānaumokuākea. The role of the Council is to provide advice and recommendations to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

June 15, 2016

Senator Brian Schatz submits proposal to President Obama for the expansion of PMNM. At 582,578 square miles, the proposal would create the world’s largest marine protected area by expanding the PMNM west of 163° West Longitude out to the full 200 nautical miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, while preserving access for local fishermen on Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau by maintaining the current boundaries of the PMNM east of 163° West Longitude